The Upper East Side (UES) of Manhattan ranges from 59th Street to 96th Street and from 5th Avenue to the East River. It includes Lenox Hill, Yorkville, Carnegie Hill and areas along Park Avenue, Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue.

Contents

Get in

By subway

Take the Lexington Av. IRT (4 or 5 express train or 6 local train).

By bus

Every avenue (except Park Av.) from Fifth Av. to York Av. has at least one bus route, and there are also crosstown buses on 57th St. (M57; also M31, which doubles as the York Av. bus), 66th/68th Sts. (M66), 72nd St. (M72, which uses the 66th St. transverse through Central Park), 79th St. (M79), 86th St. (M86) and 96 St. (M96).

On foot or by bicycle

From the Upper West Side, a walk or bike ride to the Upper East Side through Central Park is very pleasant in good weather.

See

Museums and galleries

The stretch of Fifth Avenue alongside Central Park in the Upper East Side (between 82nd and 104th Streets) is commonly referred to as "Museum Mile", though museums and galleries are also to be found off this particular beaten track:

Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, tel 212-535-7710, [1]. Tu-Th 9.30am-5.30pm, F-Sa 9.30am–9pm, Su 9.30am-5.30pm, closed Mondays (except for holiday Mondays when open 9.30am-5.30pm), January 1, Thanksgiving Day, December 25. Located on the eastern edge of Central Park on Fifth Avenue, the Met is New York's and one of the world's largest and most important museums of art and world culture. The present building opened in 1872 and houses collections of considerable variety: from Egypt and the Ancient Near East, through Classical Antiquity (Greece and Rome), to extensive holdings in African, Asian, Oceanic, Middle Eastern, Byzantine and Islamic art. Suggested admission (but pay what you wish, except when there are obligatory admission charges for certain special exhibitions): adults $15, seniors $10, students $7, members and children under 12 free (all prices include admission to the Cloisters on the same day).

Guggenheim Museum (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum), 1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street, tel 212-423-3500, [2]. Sa-W 10am-5.45pm, F 10am-8pm, closed Th. Probably the most famous of the Guggenheim foundations (others found in Bilbao, Venice, Berlin and Las Vegas), housed in the unique Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building, rendered in rounded, organic form and completed in 1959. Founded in 1937, the Guggenheim was established to promote avant-garde modern art by artists such as Kandinsky and Mondrian. Tip: take the elevator to the top floor, then follow the spiral viewing floors downwards to the street level. Adults $15, seniors and students (valid ID) $10, children under 12, members and CityPass holders free.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2 East 92st Street / Fifth Avenue at 91st Street, [3]. Tu–Th 10am–5pm, Fr 10am–9pm, Sa 10am–6pm, Su 12noon–6pm (garden entrance on 90th Street open May through September, weather permitting), closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Devoted to historic and contemporary design. A branch of the Smithsonian Institution and the only one that is not free. Adults $10, seniors and students with valid ID $7, members and children under 12 free.

Neue Galerie New York (Museum for German and Austrian Art), 1048 Fifth Avenue at 86th Street, [4].

Whitney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street, tel 1-800-WHITNEY, [5]. W–Th 11am–6pm, F 1–9 pm, closed M–Tu, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Founded in 1931, the Whitney Museum is known for displaying contemporary American art, even more up-to-date than the Museum of Modern Art. It is most famous for its long-standing tradition of hosting a biennial art show that displays many lesser-known artists new to the American art scene. Adults $12, seniors (62 and over) and students with valid ID $9.50, members, New York City public high school students with valid student ID, and children under 12 free. Pay-what-you-wish Friday 6–9pm.

The Frick Collection 1 E. 70th Street (at 5th Avenue) [7] Open T-R, Sa 10am–6pm, F 10am–9pm, Su 1pm–6pm. The former home of steel baron Henry Clay Frick, this sprawling mansion is filled with Frick's enormous personal art collection, displayed as he left it. It's worth a visit for the house alone, which is explained nicely in the audio tour. The collection is impressive, including works by Whistler, Corot, El Greco, Turner, Renoir, and Rembrandt.

Do

A full season of concerts, lectures, and other events takes place at the 92 St. Y, 92 St. and Lexington Av. The Y's Kaufmann Concert Hall is one of the premiere concert halls in the city, and its lecture and concert series feature many well-known groups and individuals. Some fans particularly recommend the chamber music concerts featuring members of the New York Philharmonic. The Y also offers classes in various subjects.

The Metropolitan Museum and the Frick Collection are among the other venues in the neighborhood that host concert series.

Roosevelt Island Tramway, 60th Street at 2nd Avenue. Take a quick tram ride to Roosevelt Island for gorgeous city and river views. (Service on the tram was restored following unplanned stoppages resulting from power failures on the line.)

Buy

Madison Av. has some interesting window-shopping but the prices of items for sale may be high.

Candy! All the candy you can dream about at Dylan's Candy Bar, located at 1011 Third Ave at 59th Street. Started by Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan. Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolly lolly lolly...

Two Little Red Hens, [8] 1652 2nd Av. between 85th and 86th Sts., 212-452-0476, is a great bakery specializing in American pastries and cakes. They make one of the best cheesecakes in New York, but don't pass up their other offerings, such as the various squares (lemon, lime, Linzer, etc.).

Drink

Ito En Tea House, 822 Madison Avenue (68th & 69th), [9]. Leave it to Ito En, the largest supplier of green tea in the world, to open the most beautiful tea shop in town. Seventy-five varieties of black, green, white, and herbal tea from India, China, and Sri Lanka are for sale.